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The Nerdy and the Dirty.

Gottfred, B. T. (author).

Benedict Pendelton and Pen Lupo barely exist to each other. Benedict is socially inept, principally because he is too intelligent to conform (as much as he would like to obtain social capital). Meanwhile, “I wanted to be liked more than I wanted to be me,” Pen reflects. She has traded in her real self for a lesser version that grants her a popular boyfriend and social standing. Pen maintains a silence that borders on invisibility; Benedict cannot help speaking, usually bluntly and usually uninvited. When they end up at the same ski resort for winter break, they discover just how much they can help each other become their best and truest selves. Extremely funny, this features two brutally honest protagonists who take turns telling the story. Benedict is trying to develop an identity that will please his self-help guru father, while resisting the negativity of Evil Benny, the voice in his head that points out all his faults and failures. Pen’s preoccupation with her heightened sexual desires and obsessions is frank in a way not often explored—or even included—in relation to young women. This is a love story that is genuine, explicit, passionate, and often adorable. Pen’s and Benedict’s ability to accept their true selves transcends their hormones, their parents’ burdens, and their peers’ expectations, and makes for a reading experience not soon forgotten. Kara Dean